Berlin, 17 April 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain booked their spot at the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday after both took the win in restless games against Atletico Madrid and Barcelona respectively.

They will now face each other in the next stage of the competition. Dortmund defeated Atletico 4-2, while PSG fought for a 4-1 comeback win against 10-men Barcelona.

"Nights like this are special, this Champions League season in particular is special. Seeing all these happy faces here in the stadium is pure satisfaction," goalscorer Julian Brandt told Prime Video.

Brandt put Dortmund ahead in the 34th minute and Ian Maatsen increased their lead just five minutes later.

But Atletico pulled one back four minutes into the second half - and thanks to Dortmund defender Mats Hummels, who deflected the ball into his own target.

The equalizer came in the 64th with Ángel Correa, but Niclas Füllkrug put Dortmund back into the game in the 71st and Marcel Sabitzer got his name in the scoresheet three minutes later, keeping Dortmund's Champions League dream alive.

"It’s a very tough night because we had the capacity of a reaction from the team, but their goals have hurt a lot – the fact that they got them so quickly after each other," Atletico captain Koke told Movistar.

This is the first time since the 2012-13 season, when they lost the final to Bayern Munich, that Dortmund reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.

"That was a rollercoaster ride, a really great evening. This is a great day for all Dortmund fans," Dortmund CEO Watzke said.

Raphinha gave Barcelona the lead in the 12th, but they were suddenly down to 10 men when Ronald Araujo saw a red card in the 29th and the scoring was level before the break as Ousmane Dembélé scored against his former club.

PSG increased their lead with Vitinha, shortly before Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández was also sent off.

Things got even worse for the Spanish team once João Cancelo conceded a penalty and Kylian Mbappe fired the ball high into the net and completed a late brace to complete the turnaround for PSG.

"Everyone believed (we could qualify), even if we lost the first leg 3-2. We didn’t give up, we knew we were going to score goals here. A big shift from the whole team," Dembélé told Canal+.

Dortmund could have broken the deadlock in the third minute, but Sabitzer hesitated a moment too long after receiving a cross from Karim Adeyemi and gave Cesar Azpilicueta time to clear the ball.

In the 18th, Adeyemi had his half-volley effort denied by Jan Oblak, but Dortmund were finally on target in the 34th.

Hummels' long pass found Brandt, who controlled the ball before striking it into the net. Oblak got his hands on the ball, but only deflected it up into his goal.

Just five minutes later, Maatsen received a classy pass from Sabitzer and powered a low strike between two defenders and into the goal to turn the tie around.

Atletico didn't waste any time after the break and there was nothing keeper Gregor Kobel could do to stop the ball when Hummels deflected a header from Mario Hermoso into his own target.

The scoring was level after Correa was blocked by Hummels in his first attempt, but had the ball into the net from the rebound.

That result would put Atletico in the semi-finals, but Sabitzer had other plans when he assisted Füllkrug's goal and got one himself in the 74th.

"The team tried until the end to win a game that at all times was the opposite of what we wanted. Dortmund reacted well to us making it 2-2 and won the game precisely because they were more forceful in the area," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said.

Barcelona seemed to have the game under control after taking the lead through Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski almost added a second in the 20th.

But they were down to 10 men in the as Araujo fouled Bradley Barcola when the PSG man was closing in on the penalty area.

And it was Barcola who provided a lovely cross to Dembélé, who produced a great finish to put PSG back into the game in the 40th.

Vitinha finished off Hakimi's pass into the net before Ilkay Gündogan hit the post in the 56th. Out of frustration, Xavi kicked an advertising hoarding and was handed a red card, while on the pitch his side conceded a penalty, which was converted by Mbappe.

The France international sealed the deal for PSG in the 89th as he picked up a loose ball and fired it in the goal.

"Going two goals down on aggregate is difficult mentally, but we remained calm. We went looking for goals, and we produced a fantastic performance," goalscorer Vitinha said

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